Doomsday Wonderland c1-855

by N. Heller

  The short-haired woman looked at him doubtfully. Just as she was about to say something, Ji Shanqing interjected, "But, I already answered one question. To be fair, and also for me to better explain the situation to you, it is now my turn to ask a question."

  The short-haired woman nodded and rolled her eyes.

  Ji Shanqing comforted himself thinking that the situation was now slightly within his control.

  "Why did my companion suddenly go crazy? What happened in this world?"

  "Since you can stand here with your sanity intact, don't you know that there are crypt particles in the air?" the short-haired woman laughed with her mouth wide open. She was now standing so close to Ji Shanqing that he could see the red bloodstains between her teeth. "Don't tell me a story like you'd just woken up from a vegetative state after the apocalypse that has already happened more than two years ago."

  "Crypt particles?" Those two words caught Ji Shanqing's attention. He took a few seconds to recognize the information that the woman had revealed to him unwittingly. "It has already been two years, but she apparently has no idea about the compulsory world leaping. The woman assumes that my owner and I are from this planet just like her..."

  "You're exactly right," Ji Shanqing replied with a straight face, holding back his emotions and misgivings.

  "Oh, so that's true..." The short-haired woman looked as if she understood everything in a flash. Before Ji Shanqing could nod his head, she suddenly burst out laughing. She lunged at him with the blood-covered kitchen knife in her hand. With a swooshing sound, the knife came down in an arc toward Ji Shanqing.

  Ji Shanqing did not anticipate her sudden attack. If he didn't step back because of her stench, that knife would have cut his face. He staggered backward gracelessly and shouted at her, "Don't you want to know more about my ability!"

  "Your ability?" the short-haired woman sneered quietly before she mildly commented, "I've seen many psychos. There are only very few psychos like you who retain their logic and a coherent thought process, but it isn't entirely unheard of. Since you are also a psycho, it makes things easier for me..."

  This time, Ji Shanqing had no choice but to throw himself to the ground. He only managed to avoid her blood-covered kitchen knife by rolling aside. Rip. Despite that, the knife cut through a large part of the back of his trench coat.

  Ji Shanqing's vision suddenly blurred. In the end, Ji Shanqing was a prize. If his outer wrapping was a little damage, it wouldn't affect him much. However, if his trench coat was too badly damaged, it would be equivalent to him being unwrapped. Of course, Ji Shanqing didn't know what would happen if someone other than Lin Sanjiu unwrapped him. Neither did he want to entertain that thought.

  Breathing laboriously, he pressed the flapping torn fabric against his back. His vision returned. When the short-haired woman saw this, she laughed delightedly. "Why are you so afraid to see your clothes a little torn? I'll have you know that when you're dead, I have to remove all your clothes!"

  Her comment was like a jolt to his mind. When he rolled to dodge her attack again, Ji Shanqing already connected the dots—he understood the situ ation.

  "The acc.u.mulated food supplies on the corridor, the residents' strange behaviors, Madam Cui's death and every word the bald man and short-haired woman said… Most importantly, these two people might be very dangerous but they were not mentally ill. And, furthermore, they had not been sent to another world even after such a long time..."

  However, before he could organize his thoughts, it was too late.

  After going through so many dangerous confrontations that night, Ji Shanqing was already very exhausted. Being distracted for a second, he didn't even notice what happened. His vision blurred again as a kitchen knife stabbed through his c.h.e.s.t. Next, a shadow loomed over his eyes and all he saw was black.

  "Huh?"

  Perhaps, the short-haired woman already realized something was strange when she stabbed Ji Shanqing so she pulled out her knife with all her strength. Losing the "support" from the knife, Ji Shanqing collapsed to the ground. Even though he couldn't see a thing, he held the opening in his trench coat tightly.

  A satisfied smile graced the short-haired woman's face. She stuck out her tongue and touched the tip of her nose. Then, she stepped on Ji Shanqing with one leg.

  "I... I have a question," the youngster's eyes had already turned glassy but his voice was just as gentle as before but he sounded much weaker, "Did any of the mentally-ill people ever recovered?"

  "How would I know?" The short-haired woman took a deep breath s.u.c.k.i.n.g in the blood between her teeth. "Even before they could recover, we already ate them."

  Ji Shanqing coughed, his face turned beet-red. The darkness that clouded his eyes subsided for a moment. He caught a glimpse of his opponent slowly raising her kitchen knife again.

  He was Lin Sanjiu's grand prize. No matter who unwrapped him, his content should belong to Lin Sanjiu... right?

  As that thought ran through his mind, through his blurred vision, he saw the knife heading for his c.h.e.s.t once again. When he blacked out once again, Ji Shanqing knew that his short five-month life was ending soon...

  That was until he heard a loud thump.

  "It's you?" the short-haired woman exclaimed.

  "That's impossible. You jumped down from the third floor. How can you be alright?" the short-haired woman blurted in astonishment. Ji Shanqing's heart started thumping. He couldn't believe what had happened but he called out quietly, "Sis?"

  "Yeah," a voice beside him answered. It obviously belonged to Lin Sanjiu.

  "Sis! It's really you! Are you alright now?" Surprised and delighted, the darkness in front of his eyes gradually faded. The familiar outline of Lin Sanjiu's back slowly appeared before him. Ji Shanqing quickly revealed everything he had discovered to Lin Sanjiu, "Sis, in this world, there are things called crypt particles in the air. Somehow, they cause people to go insane. The only way to avoid going insane is to avoid eating anything that had been exposed to the air. All the residents reared here are all mentally ill. It is all because of their food rations! And, that woman isn't a posthuman! She is a first-tier duoluozhong!"

  Ji Shanqing did not hear Lin Sanjiu's response but his vision was almost back to normal. He saw everything under the moonlight once again. His heart sank. Lin Sanjiu, who had just jumped out from the third floor, was crouching on the ground. She was staring blankly at an empty spot. She was still mumbling incoherently as if she was talking to someone that he couldn't see. She was so engrossed in her conversation with the empty air that she did not notice the short-haired woman slowly approaching her.

  Chapter 412 - Lin Sanjiu's POV 3

  Lin Sanjiu crouched on the ground looking at the girl who was standing not far from her. She crooked her head. In her fuzzy mind, the apocalyptic event in her world and her experience in Red Nautilus, one of the Twelve Worlds, were all just distant memories. There were a million thoughts in her head but she couldn't even properly process a single one. She could only stand helplessly as the thoughts raced meaningless around her mind before fading into emptiness.

  Lin Sanjiu could only attribute the cause of her disorganized thoughts to one thing. Everyone was just too bloody noisy.

  "Shut up! All of you!" Lin Sanjiu waved her arm as she shouted at the dozen of familiar and unfamiliar faces behind her. "Don't speak all at the same time. Can't you see? She's trying to talk to me."

  The short-haired woman was already very close to her but when Lin Sanjiu suddenly swung her arm, she stopped. She observed Lin Sanjiu from head to toe for a while. After confirming her suspicion that Lin Sanjiu was still mentally unsound, a smile crept across her face.

  "Sis..."

  "Didn't I tell you to shut up!" Lin Sanjiu shouted back frustratedly. She couldn't help scratching her hair. She looked up at the girl and continued, "Go ahead."

  The girl looked different from before. Her chin seemed slightly sharper. To be honest, Lin Sanjiu couldn't even remember
what she looked like originally. However, no matter how her looks changed, Lin Sanjiu just seemed to know that she was still the same girl.

  But, who was she exactly?

  "Can't you remember me?" the girl seemed to have noticed Lin Sanjiu was perplexed over her identity. "You've seen me at the Garden of Eden."

  Lin Sanjiu heard shrieking laughter coming from a distance. Shortly after, she heard Ji Shanqing yelling.

  A gust of wind brushed her face and she suddenly looked up and shouted neurotically, "My grand prize?!"

  The moment she looked up, she suddenly forgot what she wanted to say. She frowned and couldn't understand why she would suddenly shout for a "grand prize". Meanwhile, she suddenly remembered something. Recognizing the girl, she turned to the girl and acknowledged her with a nod, "That's right, you're Li Tao."

  "You finally remember me," Li Tao gave her a sweet smile. She pointed behind Lin Sanjiu and added, "Look, I brought Nüwa with me."

  Bewildered, Lin Sanjiu turned around. A black shadow flew above her at the same time and landed in the opposite direction.

  "Get away from me!" Ji Shanqing yelled as he breathed laboriously. He crouched down and grabbed a brick from the ground. However, whatever happened, in reality, seemed to be filtered through Lin Sanjiu's retinas. Lin Sanjiu continued crouching on the ground as she stared squarely at the person behind her.

  Nüwa's face was hidden in the shadows. Moonlight poured through the french windows of the black tower and Nüwa's folded arms. When Lin Sanjiu turned back to Li Tao again, the girl had already vanished. Outside the window, the city of Garden of Eden was in a state of carnage. Thick smoke rose from the city.

  "When did I return?" Whenever Lin Sanjiu tried to focus on a thought, her head hurt. She couldn't help massaging her forehead before she mumbled, "What's the matter?"

  "Nothing. I just want to see you." Even though Lin Sanjiu couldn't see Nüwa's face, her voice sounded exactly like in her memory.

  "Do your legs hurt?" Nüwa asked coldly.

  "My legs?"

  Lin Sanjiu gave that question a serious thought. "I don't think they hurt."

  The figure under the moonlight nodded. The outline of her figure faded into the shadows. An old-fashioned parterre suddenly appeared in the middle of the top floor of the black tower. The moonlight cast a silvery outline around Nüwa's arm. Her voice slowly drifted into Lin Sanjiu's ears, "You know where I am, right?"

  Lin Sanjiu nodded. She heard a disturbing clamor behind her. That noise was so loud that she felt that she was going deaf. It was almost as if the noise was right inside her mind. She couldn't help but cover her ear and she m.o.a.n.e.d softly.

  "Will you look for me or will you stay here?"

  "Will you look for me or will you stay here?"

  "Will you look for me or will you stay here?"

  While the few dozen people stared at her silently, Nüwa's question repeated over and over again in Lin Sanjiu's head, assaulting her mind. For a moment, Lin Sanjiu could only hear that single question. She couldn't explain why she suddenly started panicking. "I'm not leaving!" she roared back at Nüwa's angrily.

  Her vision blurred for a second and Nüwa's outline suddenly faded. She suddenly saw a slightly familiar face in front of her. The short-haired woman's face was just inches away from her. Lin Sanjiu could even see the freckles on the woman's skin. The pungent and fishy stench the woman exuded also gushed into her nostrils.

  "Don't worry, you can't go anywhere now," the short-haired woman grinned widely, showing her blood-stained teeth. Once again, there was blood between her teeth. "If it weren't for your companion, I would let you live a few more days. I would let you gain a few more pounds…"

  Following her gaze, Lin Sanjiu turned and saw a motionless person lying on the ground. After Ji Shanqing lost all his strength and his consciousness, both his hands lay limply on top of his c.h.e.s.t. It was as if he was using his last bit of strength to hold on to the pieces of torn fabric near his c.h.e.s.t.

  Compared to the dozen of faces behind her, she had a vague inkling that she had only known the person lying on the ground for a short time. While she was partially puzzled by the situation, she also felt her anger boiling. She couldn't explain her fury but her amber eyes gradually turned red. She glared at the short-haired woman in front of her.

  Her legs did not hurt.

  A glint of silver light flashed in the darkness before her. It headed directly toward Lin Sanjiu's c.h.e.s.t. A twisted smile danced across the short-haired woman's face while she screamed, "I love eating organs the most!" Leaning forward, she lunged at Lin Sanjiu.

  Nüwa and Li Tao watched the events that unfolded like the audience of a soccer match.

  Lin Sanjiu couldn't even comprehend how she could react so quickly. She twisted her body to one side and evaded the knife. It was as if all her muscles had woken up from a deep slumber. A jolt of energy shot through her whole body. Lin Sanjiu felt as if another her was controlling her body. The short-haired woman stumbled forward after missing her attack. While her body was slumped forward, Lin Sanjiu delivered a powerful kick to that woman's shin.

  The woman cried out in pain and fell to the ground. Then, Lin Sanjiu stopped. She looked at the woman beneath her with confusion. Suddenly, she remembered that Zhu Mei was alone at home. She wondered if her air-conditioning unit was damaged… Just when Lin Sanjiu was about to walk away, Nüwa's shadowy figure suddenly stepped forward and looked at the floor in front of Lin Sanjiu.

  "If you won't look for me, you better think carefully," her lukewarm voice c.a.r.e.s.sed Lin Sanjiu's ears like a hand. "I've already told you the truth about this world."

  "Damn it. She's f.u.c.k.i.n.g crazy but why are her reflexes so quick?"

  The short-haired woman spat on the floor. There was blood in her saliva. Lin Sanjiu stared vacantly at the strands of black blood in her spittle. A strange thought suddenly surfaced in her mind. "Vitamin deficiency caused by the consumption of a single type of meat."

  "Don't worry, after I skin you, I promised I will let every single passerby try your flesh…" The short-haired woman wrenched her face into a threatening humorless smile. She lowered her body and laid her limbs flat on the ground just like a large gecko or spider. She turned her neck upward.

  Lin Sanjiu stared at her blankly as if that didn't bother her one bit and as if she didn't see that woman at all.

  "I know," she nodded to the empty space beside her with a serious expression. "You did mention to me that a person potential growth value was a sort of mental strength. 1

  "A lunatic is a lunatic," the short-haired chuckled coldly. Her limbs shifted. She did not move forward but instead created some distance between herself and Lin Sanjiu before charging...

  When Ji Shanqing slowly opened his heavy eyelids, he saw a large black shadow within his blurry vision. Shortly after, he heard a loud thud. The ground shook a little. He quickly lay supine on the ground and pressed both his hands against the lapel on his c.h.e.s.t. After half a second, he turned his head.

  The short-haired woman's four limbs seemed to be dislocated. She gasped as she slowly climbed up again. After struggling, waving her limbs in the air like an insect, she finally stood up again with some effort.

  This time, the blood pouring from her mouth wasn't just from her bleeding gums. Gasping for air, the short-haired woman did not even look once at Ji Shanqing who was lying on the ground. Instead, she stared in the opposite direction with fury and fear in her eyes.

  Following her gaze, Ji Shanqing saw Lin Sanjiu's tall figure right in the middle of his clouded vision. Once again, he felt a mixture of happiness and disappointment. He moved his lips a little but he prudently decided to keep quiet. However, as Lin Sanjiu stepped closer and closer to him, his eyes brightened.

  "In essence, a potential growth value is a sort of mental strength." Lin Sanjiu lowered her head and said to him when she came close. After that, she stepped over her grand prize expressionlessly.

  The smile
on Ji Shanqing's face froze.

  "In essence, a potential growth value is a sort of mental strength." Lin Sanjiu repeated that statement once again. The short-haired woman was not far from her now.

  Ji Shanqing tried to press down his clothes as he sat up. He stared at Lin Sanjiu's back. The phrase she mumbled suddenly struck him like a tsunami.

  "That is also the reason why posthumans who had lost their sanity can't use their evolved ability!"

  As a posthuman's evolved ability was dependent on their potential growth value, if the value disappeared for some reason, they naturally couldn't use any of their abilities.

  However…

  Ji Shanqing looked at Lin Sanjiu, confused.

  Lin Sanjiu stared at the short-haired woman, who was charging at her with fingers in a claw-like position. With an oddly calm voice, Lin Sanjiu declared, "I really, really hate you."

  Before the woman's vein-covered hand could touch Lin Sanjiu, the latter already grabbed on to the former's arm tightly. As Lin Sanjiu's hand tightened around the short-haired woman's arm, shock and horror filled her eyes. With a stoic expression, Lin Sanjiu's twisted that woman's arm.

  Even though Ji Shanqing was lying more than ten meters away, he could hear a spine-chilling crack the moment Lin Sanjiu broke the woman's shoulder joint with a twist.

  The woman shrieked in pain. Her arm was now dangling from her shoulder. A layer of dense perspiration appeared on her forehead. When she looked at Lin Sanjiu again, her attitude was visibly different. It was obvious that she could not understand how the lunatic in front of her could fight so well...

  Ji Shanqing did not expect that either. The short-haired woman suddenly turned and ran away. Lin Sanjiu watched quietly as the woman's figure gradually grew smaller. Finally, the woman disappeared behind a residential building but Lin Sanjiu remained motionless.

  Nüwa had disappeared even before Lin Sanjiu noticed. Li Tao flashed a smile at Lin Sanjiu before she disappeared into the crowd. The crowd had grown bigger but at least they were quiet now. They had stopped clouding her mind with their various voices...